Three Kinds of Skills Developed

Three categories. Each contains many specific skills. Together they make project learning powerful.

A teacher who knows these skill categories can plan projects to develop specific skills. A teacher who plans projects vaguely may produce vague learning.

Three skill categories

Three categories:

1. Critical thinking skills. Analytical, evaluative.
2. Creative thinking skills. Generative, innovative.
3. Social skills. Relational, collaborative.

Each contains many specific skills. Lists them.

Critical thinking skills

Ten critical thinking skills. Let me unpack each.

Comparing and contrasting

Looking at two or more things and identifying similarities and differences.

In a project on water purification, students might compare different methods (boiling, filtration, chemical treatment).

Classifying

Grouping things by shared characteristics.

In a botany project, students classify plants by type (woody, herbaceous, climbing). Or by use (food, medicine, decoration).

Identifying priorities

Determining what matters most.

In a community problem project, students identify the most important issues to address. They cannot solve everything; they must prioritize.

Drawing conclusions

Forming general statements from specific evidence.

After investigating multiple sources, students draw conclusions about their topic. The conclusions go beyond raw data.

Determining cause and effect relationships

Identifying what causes what.

In a project on local environmental issues, students figure out causes (factory waste, traffic) and effects (air pollution, water contamination).

Analyzing for bias

Identifying when sources or arguments are biased.

In a media project, students analyze news articles for bias. Whose perspective is favored? What is left out?

Analyzing for problem solving

Breaking problems into components to solve them.

A complex project may have multiple sub-problems. Students analyze each. They develop solutions piece by piece.

Analogy

Using one situation to understand another.

Students might compare a school’s social structure to a working democracy. The analogy reveals similarities and limits.

Evaluating

Judging quality, validity, or value.

Students evaluate sources, arguments, products, or solutions. They use specific criteria.

Decision making

Choosing among options based on evidence and reasoning.

Projects involve many decisions. Which approach? Which sources? Which presentation method? Students practice deciding with reasons.

Why critical thinking matters

A student who develops critical thinking can:

1. Analyze new information they encounter.
2. Evaluate claims they hear.
3. Make better decisions.
4. Avoid being deceived.
5. Contribute to society as informed citizens.

These skills serve students throughout life. Project learning develops them.

Creative thinking skills

Twelve creative thinking skills.

Brainstorming

Generating many ideas without immediately judging them.

Project planning often starts with brainstorming. What problems to investigate? What approaches to try? What products to create?

Visualizing

Creating mental images of ideas, processes, or outcomes.

Students visualize what their final project will look like. They visualize how a process unfolds.

Personifying

Treating non-human things as if they had human qualities.

In creative projects, students might personify natural elements (a river that “flows angrily”, a mountain that “stands proud”). This is a writing skill.

Inventing

Creating something new.

Many projects involve invention. New solutions to problems. New ways to present information. New products.

Associating

Connecting seemingly unrelated ideas.

A student might associate a math concept with a music concept. Or a literary theme with a scientific principle. Associations produce insights.

Inferring

Drawing conclusions from indirect evidence.

When direct evidence is unavailable, students infer. They reason about what likely happened or what is likely true.

Generalizing

Forming general principles from specific cases.

After investigating many examples, students generalize. They identify patterns and articulate them as principles.

Predicting

Saying what will happen.

Predictions are testable. Students predict outcomes of experiments or social situations. Then they test the predictions.

Hypothesizing

Forming testable explanations.

A hypothesis is more than a guess. It is a structured proposal that can be tested. Project learning often involves hypothesizing.

Making analogies

Using known relationships to understand new ones.

Different from analogy as a critical thinking skill. As creative thinking, it is about generating new understandings through familiar patterns.

Dealing with logic and paradox

Working through contradictions and complex reasoning.

Some projects involve paradoxes. How can two contradictory things both be true? Students learn to think through such situations.

Problem solving

Working through challenges to reach solutions.

Projects always involve problems. Students develop systematic approaches to solving them.

Why creative thinking matters

Creative thinking complements critical thinking. Critical evaluates. Creative generates.

A society of only critical thinkers can analyze but not innovate. A society of only creative thinkers can generate but not evaluate. Both are needed.

Project learning develops both. Students who do many projects become both analytical and innovative.

Social skills

Seven social skills.

Respecting others

Acknowledging others’ worth and contributions.

In group projects, members must respect each other. Different perspectives, different work styles, different abilities.

Working independently

Doing one’s own share of work without supervision.

Group work does not mean everyone helps with everything. Each member has their own work to do. Independent work within the group.

Managing time

Allocating time appropriately to tasks.

Projects span weeks. Students must manage their own time. Without management, deadlines pass with work undone.

Cooperating

Working with others toward shared goals.

The core of cooperative learning. Students develop this through repeated cooperative experiences.

Sharing

Distributing resources and work fairly.

Both physical resources (materials, equipment) and intellectual resources (ideas, contributions). Sharing without resentment.

Using resources effectively

Choosing right resources and using them well.

Projects often use limited resources. Students learn to make the most of what they have.

Making choices and decisions

Choosing among options, individually and as a group.

Group decision-making is harder than individual decision-making. Students learn to discuss, compromise, and choose.

Why social skills matter

Adults work with others. Schools that produce graduates without social skills produce adults who struggle in work and life.

Social skills do not develop in isolation. They develop through repeated practice with peers. Project learning provides the practice.

A student who has done many cooperative projects in school is much better prepared for adult life than a student who only did individual work.

Why all three categories together

Three categories. All developed simultaneously through project learning.

A focused worksheet might develop critical thinking only. An art class might develop creative thinking only. A discussion period might develop social skills only.

A project develops all three. Students think critically about content. They think creatively about solutions. They work socially with peers.

This integration is what makes project learning special. Students develop a full set of skills, not just a single one.

A specific note about social skills

For full skill development, projects should be in groups, not individual.

Individual projects can develop critical and creative thinking. They cannot develop social skills.

Group projects develop all three.

A teacher who assigns projects only individually misses the social skill development. A teacher who assigns group projects produces all three.

This is one reason cooperative project learning (covered in this chapter) is preferred over individual project work.

Flashcard

What three skill categories does project learning develop?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Critical thinking, creative thinking, social skills

1. Critical thinking: comparing, classifying, drawing conclusions, evaluating, etc. (analytical).

2. Creative thinking: brainstorming, visualizing, inventing, hypothesizing, etc. (generative).

3. Social skills: respecting, cooperating, sharing, time management, etc. (relational).

All three are developed simultaneously through group project learning. Individual projects miss the social category.

Mapping projects to skills

A teacher planning projects can map them to specific skills:

For critical thinking emphasis: Projects involving comparison, evaluation, and analysis. Examples: research projects, case studies, comparative reports.

For creative thinking emphasis: Projects involving invention, brainstorming, and design. Examples: art projects, product design, creative writing.

For social skills emphasis: Projects requiring extensive group coordination. Examples: performances, large multi-part projects, community projects.

The best projects develop all three. They have analytical components, creative components, and require strong group work.

A teacher who maps projects to skills can build a balanced set across the year. Some projects emphasize one category. Some emphasize another. Over the year, students develop the full range.

What teachers should plan

When planning a project, the teacher should:

1. Identify the project’s content goals. What will students learn?

2. Identify the skills developed. Which critical thinking, creative thinking, and social skills?

3. Design tasks that exercise those skills. Tasks should naturally involve the skills.

4. Assess the skills alongside content. Skill development is part of the learning. Assessment should reflect this.

5. Reflect on skill development. Help students see what skills they used and how they grew.

A teacher who plans for skills produces skill development. A teacher who plans only for content produces content learning but vague skill outcomes.